Jerusalem International Jazz Festival

Need: Over the past several years, jazz has gained increasing popularity in Israel, but until recently, Jerusalem still lacked a jazz festival it could call its own.

Response: The new International Jazz Festival, produced by the Israel Festival in collaboration with the Yellow Submarine, takes place over three days in December, bringing highly-acclaimed artists from Israel and abroad to Jerusalem for high-quality performances at the Israel Museum.

Population Served: The festival appeals to local jazz enthusiasts and musicians, as well as to tourists. It is open to the general public, attracting a diverse audience from across Jerusalem’s religious spectrum, as well as the city’s immigrant communities.

Impact: The festival enables locals to experience international jazz and visitors to enjoy Jerusalem’s performing arts landscape, reinforcing Jerusalem’s international reputation as a flourishing metropolis, and laying the groundwork for continued investment in Jerusalem’s cultural future. The festival provides exposure for talented local musicians, increases tourism and helps shape Jerusalem's as a modern, world-class center for the arts.

The festival was hailed by Haaretz as having “succeeded where others failed” thanks to the “harmony between the music and the museums spaces”. Audience members raved that the festival “was excellent. We enjoyed it immensely”. Perhaps the experience was best summed up in the word of one audience member: “Incredible”.